Portable walking exercise gym

ABSTRACT

An exercising/rehabilitating device that is portable, durable and easily manufactured comprising of a flexible rod, a medially located pad with two weighted handles on each end of the rod. The device can be used to stretch various muscle groups by providing uniform resistance to forces, thus allowing for conditioning and muscle growth. Or, it can be slung over one&#39;s shoulders and carried when jogging or walking to reduce the stresses on the spine, because of its damping effect and its realignment and concentration of these normal forces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to an exercise and stretching device forstretching, strengthening, and firming one's upper torso, shoulders andarms, with the added benefit of aiding those that may have difficultyrunning or walking due to either injury or pre-existing conditions.

2. Related Art

The use of a stick-like or rod-like device for stretching and exercisingthe upper body of humans is commonplace. The most rudimentary consist ofa stick, rod, or dowel that is rested on one's deltoids or uppershoulders, while the arms and hands are draped over opposing ends. Inthis configuration, the user can stretch and strengthen his upper bodyby providing resistance against the rod, the stronger the rod, the moreforce can be applied and therefore more resistance transferred to themuscle groups.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,174 (Benach) relates to a flexible tube withhandgrips at its end segments, with a central cushion suitable forresting on one's neck while resisting forces are applied by the user'sarms and hands.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,648 (Travis) relates to an aerobic exercise deviceformed from elongated tube sections that are interconnect by a cushionedcentral spring member that is used in a similar fashion as theaforementioned patent.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,146 (Jackson) relates to an elongated bar with a barof weights mounted at each end with a cushioned central member thathouses a spring and bearing mechanism to allow for elongation andcontraction of the bar in an exercise regiment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is designed to aid inthe rehabilitation of persons with back injuries as well, as tostrengthen the arms, shoulders, and back muscles. When the device isused as prescribed, it is believed that the combination of thecounter-levering weights and the flexible rod configurationsimultaneously provide stretching, strengthening and shock absorption tothe back and spine when the user is walking or running. This is, inpart, due to the oscillation of the weights that damp out or counteractthe forces transmitted to the back and spine when the user's feetcontact the ground. It is also contemplated, that the invention alsotransfers and stabilizes the forces caused by ones' arms during thejogging or walking motion to the spine or neck via the central paddingmember.

It is an object of this invention to provide an exercise device thatresembles a flexible tubular rod or stick with weights on each of theopposing ends that is approximately the length of the user's arm span,that is the distance from fingertip to fingertip when one's arms areoutstretched parallel to the ground. Medially located on the rod orstick is a pad or series of padding to allow the device to be placed onthe nape of the users neck. This medially located pad may also beweighted to allow for additional resistance when the user is walking orperforming various exercises.

The end weights can be virtually any shape or size and can be removableor fixed, symmetrical or non symmetrical, depending on the desiredeffect. It has been contemplated to have the end weights removable, sothat various different weight configurations can be accomplished, eithersymmetrical or asymmetrical. So that one weight is heavier than theother to help compensate for injury or atrophy of one side of the body.

The weights could have a female threading that attaches to the malethreads of the central rod, or a bayonet-type fitting may be used.

It has been contemplated to fashion the weight out of a soft-rubbermaterial embedded with dense metal flakes or alternatively heavymaterial, of a diameter similar to that of a tennis ball. This providesan aesthetic device with the added safety features of no sharp edges andin the event that the weight strikes anything, the soft rubber materialwill absorb the impact. Furthermore, these end weights also may serve ashandles when performing various exercises and we have found that themalleable spherical shapes serve well for this purpose because they fitthe average persons hand and because they are flexible and easilygripped. In addition, the spherical shape is conducive for insertinginto ones pocket to perform various exercises.

It is further contemplated to have a handle or retaining device attachedto the end weights as an additional safety feature to prevent the userfrom dropping the invention. One embodiment would utilize a loop, suchas found on dog leashes or cross-country ski poles.

The flexible rod can be fashioned from a myriad of materials, such asbamboo, spring steel, graphite rods, filament matrix rod, or flexiblefiberglass pultruded rod. The material properties are important, that isthe rod must be able to deform or bend when pressure is applied and oncethe pressure is released, it must return to its original state. That is,if the rod was originally linear at rest and then deformed into an archby application of a force, then once that force has been removed the rodshould return to its linear configuration. One embodiment contemplates afiberglass reinforced plastic pultruded rod with a contemplated a rodradius ranging from ⅛″ of an inch up to 1″, depending on the amount ofresistance required and other practical factors, such as availability,cost of manufacturing, etc . . . .

It is a further object of the current invention that the rod hassufficient characteristics, so that it will oscillate when the user iswalking. The combination of the weights and the flexibility of the rodwill cause the user's arms to slightly flap up and down, like a bird'swings, when they are draped over the exercise device in the prescribedfashion. This will produce a massaging sensation to the arms andshoulders.

It is a further object of this invention for the device to be simple,inexpensively and easily manufactured. A further object is that thedevice is relatively light, so that it is easily transported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Taking the following specifications in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings will cause the invention to be better understood regardingthese and other features and advantages. The specifications referencethe annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the exercise device in a static position.

FIG. 1 a is analogous to FIG. 1 with an alternate embodiment of thecentral pad.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the exercise device in oscillation mode.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the exercise device and a human figure.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the exercise device with an ambulatoryhuman figure.

FIG. 5 is analogous to FIG. 4 depicting the oscillation of the exercisedevice.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of two exercise devices in an Xconfiguration and a human figure.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation the exercise device and a human figure in analternative mode of operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While describing the invention and its embodiments, various terms willbe used for the sake of clarity. These terms are intended to not onlyinclude the recited embodiments, but also all equivalents that performsubstantially the same function, in substantially the same manner toachieve the same result.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses anexercise/rehabilitation device, generally indicated by numeral 100 isused for general strengthening of various muscle groups throughresistance training regimes as well as for rehabilitation from backinjuries when used as a walking or jogging aid.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of theexercise/rehabilitation device 100, at rest or in a static positiondepicting its three salient features. An flexible elongated rod 20 witha medially located padding 30 with two weighted handles 10 affixed totwo endpoint of the flexible elongated rod 20.

FIG. 1 a is a front elevation of an embodiment of theexercise/rehabilitation that utilizes a variant of the medially locatedpadding 30 of a more ergonomic configuration. Although, the term paddingis used extensively for the medially located padding 30 it is furthercontemplated that this padding may be formed of a dense material to actas not only a padding, but also as a weighted member to aid inperforming various exercises.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of theexercise/rehabilitation device 100, similar to FIG. 1 with the exceptionthat it depicts the two weighted handles 10 oscillating or moving inrelationship to the medially located padding 30, which occurs when theuser is walking, jogging, jumping, or providing resistance against theexercise/rehabilitation device 100.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of theexercise/rehabilitation device 100, interacting with a humanoid 200 todepict a preferred method of utilizing the device.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are side elevations of a preferred embodiment of theexercise/rehabilitation device 100, flexing and oscillating while thehumanoid 200 is in various stages of walking or jogging.

FIG. 6 depicts a front elevation of the use of two preferred embodimentsof the exercise device 100, interacting with a humanoid 200 wherein thetwo exercise devices 100 are configured in an “X” pattern behind thehumanoid 200 while one of the weighted handles 10 of each exercisedevices 100 is inserted into a weight securing assembly 300. Onepreferred embodiment of a weight securing assembly 300 is simply one'spant's back pockets, while another embodiment contemplates a belt andholster-type apparatus suitably dimensioned to accommodate the shape andsize of the weighted handle 10.

FIG. 7 depicts a front elevation of exercise device 100 being bent bythe user or human 200. Bending and releasing of the exercise deviceprovides strength training of the major muscles through resistance andprovides a massaging action to the body due to the oscillation of thedevice.

The invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiment.One skilled in the art will recognize that it would be possible toconstruct the elements of the present invention from a variety of meansand to modify the placement of the components in a variety of ways.While the embodiments of the invention have been described in detail andshown in the accompanying drawings, it will be evident that variousfurther modifications are possible without departing from the scope ofthe invention as set forth.

While the inventor understands that claims are not a necessary componentof a provisional patent application and has not included detailedclaims, the inventor reserves the right to claim, without limitation,the following subject matter.

1. An exercise device comprising: a flexible elongated rod of a fixedlength with opposing ends; a pair of weighted handles affixed to saidopposing ends; a padding affixed to the center of said elongated rod. 2.The exercise device of claim 1 wherein said elongated rod is a pultrudedfiberglass rod.
 3. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein said elongatedrod is at least four feet long.
 4. The exercise device of claim 1wherein said weighted handles comprise metal shavings embedded in arubber resin.
 5. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein said weightedhandles are spherically shaped.
 6. The exercise device of claim 1wherein said weighted handles are removable.
 7. The exercise device ofclaim 1 wherein said padding is a weight.